Earth Art Project Inspirations: Roses

Roses were another feature I incorporated into my piece. As Mr. Birchett did in his Site Seer series, the incorporation of the rose gives a piece a certain ge ne se quoi. The rose is among the most symbolic of forms. The ancient Greeks and Romans associated the rose with their goddesses of love (i.e. Aphrodite/Venus). In other cultures, the rose is generally associated with similar ideas, mostly revolving around the purity of the feminine form (an idea resonating in Lucy Lippard's work and often described by Mr. Birchett when explaining his own pieces).

I utilized pink roses; according to teleflora.com, these roses symbolize "gentility, femininity, elegance and refinement." These roses were also of a pale shade, which furthers these notions by connoting "grace and gentleness, admiration and happiness." These roses had further began to wilt (due to the cold season), which also represents decay. A wilting rose, in many cases, is just as beautiful as one in bloom, representing the effect of age and strenuous conditions on the organism. I deadheaded these roses (although not in season), which were already in decline.

A picture of a rose which fell from its spot atop my piece a week after its creation. Look closely and you will see the ice crystal formation due to the relatively intense cold it was subject to over the last week.